Ending the Cycle
by Crystal Maygin
Summary: He had watched the cycle countless times across countless timelines a crossed an uncountable amount of time. And now the former royal scientist Doctor W.D. Gaster was sick and tired of it all. So he decided to intervene... But things take an unexpected twist and he must adapt quickly or it will all turn into dust in the wind.
1. Chapter 1: A Chance for Change

Ending the Cycle

Chapter 1: A Chance for Change

Disclaimer: I do not own Undertale or its characters.

Authors note: This story will have spoilers, but it also has my own twist on the events of the game.

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He was tired... So very tired... He had dwelled in this realm of nothing that was connected to everything for such a very long time... So long that he had forgotten how long he had actually been there... And he was so very tired... Of everything... What he was most tired of was witnessing the countless genocide timelines... He wanted it to stop... To see an end to all the death... So he decided to end the cycle himself...

Focusing on the untold amount of timelines surrounding him, he searched for one with which he could enter. One which the void's hold was weakest, he was looking for an escape route. After scouring through countless timelines he found what he was looking for, a weak point. And after a quick survey, he determined that the current events of this timeline were taking place in what he had dubbed 'the judgment hall'.

Accessing the current events of the timeline, he watched for a moment as an all-too-familiar skeleton with a blue hoodie fought against an all-too-familiar child covered in dust. The events of this world were further along than he would've liked but if all went as planned then he should be able to reset it.

Taking but a moment to double check the weakness of the void on this timeline to make sure it was lax enough, he made his move.

Sans fought with everything he could, with everything he had... But he had pretty much reached his limits and he knew it. Fighting to keep his eyes open, he didn't initially notice anything was amiss. The sound of movement caused him to snap his eyes open, having not realized they had closed. However, what ever he expected to see was not what was happening before him and he couldn't help but stare in shocked silence for a moment.

The child's weapon arm had been stopped mid-swing, held in place by a bony hand with a hole in the palm. And standing just behind the child was a warped and melted black form with an equally as warped skull like head. The pinpricks of light in it's sockets were ablaze of a brilliant purple that focused solely upon the small murderer struggling within his grip.

"g-gaster... is that... t-that really you...?" Finally came the voice of Sans, a mix of emotions in his tone.

Blazing purple eyes shifted toward him momentarily before turning to the child. "Time... And time again..." He spoke but in a different language, although somehow seemed to still be understood by those present. "I watched as time and time again... Everyone would die... Die by your hands... And for what reason? For power...? For revenge...? Just because you could? I've seen it all across multiple timelines... And I am sick of it..." Gaster's slightly distorted voice simply sounded tired in the beginning before dipping into a venomous tone at the end...

His other hand came forward and forced the dust covered child to turn around to face him, grabbing their chin right after. "But worry not child... It is not you who I speak to... But the soulless malevolent spirit that possesses you..." The human's emotionless expression seemed to falter at this, if only slightly. But it did not escape the former scientist's noticed. "That is right... I can see you in there... Did you not know that one lost soul can easily spot another? You foolis-"

Gaster's sentence cut off abruptly as the possessed child yanked their weapon free and took a swing at him. Vaguely he thought he heard Sans yell his name, but it was unnecessary as the knife passed through him as if he wasn't even there. This seemed to cause the malevolence spirit to pause in obvious uncertainty. That hesitation was enough for the former scientist make his next move...

Once again grabbing hold of the spirit controlled human, but this time with more than just his hands. The black substance that was his very body began to wrap around the child, slowly dragging them in.

"gaster! w-what the hell you doing?!" This time he finally focused upon Sans and kept his gaze there, the purple fading away to soft white pinpricks of light.

"I am bringing an end to all of this... I will take this child's soul and absorb it... Before they have a chance to reset, before they have a chance to do this all over again... I will be the one to RESET this time... To bring an end to this monotonous cycle of kill or be killed..." These words caused the possessed murderer to struggle much more aggressively than they were moments ago but he paid it no mind.

"but...?! what will that do to you?!" There was a scared almost desperate tone to his voice that brought an aching sensation to Gaster's lost soul.

"I do not know..." He answered truthfully, having no desire to sugarcoat the situation despite the distraught expression on the younger skeleton's face. "But as long as it ensures Papyrus' and your own safety, then that is all that matters to me... I am sorry our reunion had to be like this..."

Turning his focus back to the struggling murderer, his eye sockets lit up anew with purple flaming points of light. "But there is no time to discuss alternatives..." As soon as those words left his mouth, Gaster plunged his hand into the child's chest and grabbed hold of their soul.

He could feel as the malevolent spirit tried to refuse him but at the same time he could feel the child desperately trying to accept him, as if they wanted him to help. And that was what he reached for with all his might, even as he felt his form begin to 'glitch out'; as he would commonly call it.

And then, Gaster could see it... A literal floating button with the word reset in his minds eye. He reached out for it, physically and mentally, his sole focus on putting an end to all of it. He didn't even hear Sans call for him again, didn't even see as the other skeleton continuously stumble and fell in order to try to get to him. His mind was to focus on reaching that button while simultaneously trying to push the malevolent spirit out.

And then...

It all faded to white...

A light grown escaped from him as Gaster slowly regain consciousness. And for a time he simply laid there without moving or opening his eyes. He felt sore all over and he also felt extremely off but he couldn't place his finger on it. Finally, he began to register the sounds around him. Birds chirping somewhere far off, a light breeze that sound like it was flowing through a cave, and the occasional sound of a falling pebble.

Then he realized he felt the warmth of sunlight upon his face and finally decided to open his eyes. Only to quickly wince as he was partly blinded by sunlight shining in from above. But wait... He had been in the 'judgment hall' and there were no windows in the ceiling. Finally pulling himself up into a sitting position, Gaster lifted a hand to rubbed his head only to freeze as upon realizing that he felt hair.

Slowly lowering his shaking hand, the former scientist stared in stunned silence as he saw not his hand but the hand of a human; of a child. Quickly he began to check himself over and immediately realized he recognized this body... It was the human child's very own, it seemed he was now the one possessing the poor thing. Abruptly he felt something shift in the back of his mind and as he focused upon it, it seemed to curl in upon itself.

Oh... It was the child... The true owner of this form... Frisk... The name floated to him through the mental link they now share, most likely a result of his current possession of the child's body. He could feel the guilt and depression coming off of Frisk in waves. The poor thing regretted what happened deeply but Gaster could also fill a hint of relief from the child. Most likely glad that they were no longer possessed by that other spirit and instead by one who seemed to want to do right.

Before he could even begin to think about comforting Frisk, the sound of creepy laughter reached his ears. In an instant he was on his feet, Frisk's, feet and looking around the small chamber. **"Hahaha... Well played Doctor..."** Came an eerie and haunting voice that was filled with malevolence and mock humor. **"Out of all the possible outcomes, the last thing I expected was for you to interfere... Let alone possess Frisk yourself! Well played indeed... But I am far from done with Frisk or you for that matter. Stay on your guard Doctor... HEHEHEH..."** The eerie giggling continued on for another moment before fading into silence.

"Damnable soulless child..." Muttered Gaster before letting out a heavy sigh, once again looking at his 'borrowed' hands. He could feel that his host was now fearful on top of everything else. "Do not listen to them Frisk... They are simply trying to get to you with their words, and to me. But we will make this right, I promise. I know you do not really know me, but trust me. I have a lot invested in making this right..." He could feel Frisk calming some within his mind, but the child continued to remain silent, so he decided to leave the poor thing alone for now.

Taking a deep breath and letting out a heavy sigh, Gaster shifted his gaze to the only accessible door with a small frown. He had theorized, had hoped, that him forcing the reset this time like this would free the human from being possessed. However, he found himself being the one to possess Frisk instead. Was this truly a better outcome? He wasn't sure, these were all new variables to him. But this now meant that he could have a direct effect on this timeline, give everyone the happy ending they truly deserved. He had seen so many timelines, so many alternate realities, but only a handful of them were actually good. However, that didn't mean he didn't know what needed to be done.

Finally dropping his, Frisk's, hands to his side, Gaster strolled towards the next chamber with purpose. He would do his best to bring an end to the cycle...

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And that's it for this chapter, I hope you guys enjoyed the beginning of Ending the Cycle. Chapter two and three are pretty much done, just need to proofread them again, but I'm going to wait to put them up to see how well this chapter is received. So let me know what you guys think.

On a different note, I wish I was better at drawing than I am otherwise I'd make this into a comic. As the story progresses, I can see a ghostly image of Gaster and Frisk behind their shared body when they have their mental interactions. Or even just Gaster's internal expression in regards to something that he has to appear neutral to. XD

Anyway, once again let me know what you guys think. Until next time. R&R.


	2. Chapter 2: A Romp Through the Ruins

Ending the Cycle

Chapter 2: A Romp Through the Ruins

"Howdy!"

Internally Gaster groaned as he was abruptly reminded of the second soulless child he would have to deal with. He had seen so many variations and so many timelines that he'd forgotten about...

"I'm Flowey. Flowey the flower!" The monster child trapped in plant form giggled in an innocent way, but he knew better. "Why'd you make me introduce myself? It's rude to act like you don't know who I am. Someone ought to teach you proper manners."

This caused the former scientist to raise an eyebrow, he didn't remember this in any of the other possibilities. But then again the mutated flower did know about the resets so perhaps he was partly aware of the skeleton's reset. But to what extent? If the soulless monster child knew too much then that could throw off his attempts to save this timeline. It was probably best for him to avoid talking to the flower as much as possible to prevent him from becoming suspicious.

"I guess little me will have to do. Ready? Here we go!" Sighing internally, Gaster decided that there was some situations where he would have to humor those he interacted with. He continued to remain silent as the flower give their explanation on what LV and EXP were, of course he knew the truth but he wasn't going to tell Flowey that.

When Flowey went to share his 'friendliness pellets', he decided to avoid them completely. This clearly agitated the plant and Gaster couldn't help but smile slightly. And of course when the flower tried again, the monster in child's form once again sidestepped them. And then again...

 **"You know what's going on here, don't you? You just wanted to see me suffer."** Instead of answering verbally, he simply crossed his arms over his chest and lightly smirked at the flower while slightly tilting his head. A circle of 'friendliness pellets' surrounded him but Gaster remained calm as he knew what was about to happen, so he knew there was no reason to panic.

Instead he glanced to the side slightly as a fireball manifested in the darkness and flew towards the malevolent little flower, knocking him away. Lowering his hands to his side, the former scientist looked over as the familiar image of the former queen came into view; a gentle smile now on his face.

"What a terrible creature, torturing a poor, innocent youth..." Just as he remembered her, always the loving mother type even to a stranger; even though he 'technically' wasn't a stranger. "Ah, do not be afraid, my child. I am Toriel caretaker of the ruins."

"Hello your... Miss Toriel..." He greeted as warmly as he could, despite his slight slip up of almost calling her 'your Majesty'. "My name is G... Frisk... My name is Frisk..." Once again he almost slipped up and he couldn't help mentally chide himself. Gaster didn't know if anyone would remember him or not and he wasn't sure what effect the knowledge of his existence within the child would have. So it would probably be best for him to pretend to be someone he was not, this was going to be tricky...

Thankfully Toriel either didn't seem to notice the slip ups or politely chose to ignore them. "It's very nice to meet you Frisk." After that Gaster followed her into the catacombs while trying to pretend he hadn't heard her explanations of looking for fallen humans countless times over. And he patiently allowed her to demonstrate how to operate some of the puzzles of the ruins. When it came to her teaching him how to interact with other monsters, he couldn't help but feel funny about talking to the dummy. Although he had a faint memory that this event would connect to a different one later on but he wasn't a 100% sure... He had seen so many timelines before that sometimes he couldn't remember what happened in what timeline.

Despite these uncertain feelings, Gaster followed her instructions to a T and she continued to lead him deeper into the ruins. Not too terribly long after that the former queen was off to run some errands and left him by himself, after giving him a phone to contact him of course.

Once alone again, other than the distraught child he shared headspace with, the former scientist couldn't help but let out a heavy sigh. "I have to make sure not to slip up like I did earlier... This... Is going to be quite troublesome... I thought my intervention would end with me resetting the timeline..." In short, he thought it would be the end of him... He hadn't existed in this timeline prior to the forced reset, so the skeleton believed he would simply cease to be.

Gaster couldn't help but tense slightly as he felt a mental sensation of small hands grabbing him then leaning into his 'back'. It took but a moment for him to relax after realizing that it was Frisk silently reaching out to him. He could feel that the child was grateful for his presence while simultaneously fearful he might leave. This stirred up old emotions in him as he mentally pulled Frisk into a reassuring hug. "It is all right. We are in this together now... I am not going anywhere, not until this is all over with... I promise." A smile slipped onto his face as he could feel through their mental links that the child felt better, if only a little.

After giving the child another mental hug, Gaster took a moment to collect his somewhat scrambled thoughts and memories of the different timelines. He wasn't sure if he'd have another shot at this and the skeleton wasn't about to take a chance, so he had to get it right the first time. However, the more he thought about it the more Gaster realized how mixed up his recollection of events was. There were many things in the timelines that remained the same regardless but there was also many things that were vastly different. Even the slightest misstep or misspoken words could cause a ripple effect and just trying to calculate how to proceed was starting to give him a headache.

A slight mental tug from Frisk was all the monster needed to pull himself out of the train of thoughts that was on its way to become a train wreck. "Sorry..." Came the slightly sheepish apology while he lightly rubbed the back of his head. "I suppose you can feel my emotions just as easily as I can feel yours." A mental nod was the answer he received as he mindlessly gazed around his surroundings.

"Can you read my thoughts as well? I do not seem to be able to read yours..." There was another nod and he couldn't help but frowned thoughtfully, one hand lifting his chin as the scientist in him kicked in. "I wonder if that is because I am the one currently controlling the body... Or is it perhaps because this is your body and I am just a 'guest'... If this was under different circumstances, I would want to study this strange conundrum. But seeing as I have no idea how much time we might have... How much time I have... We should probably get going. And... I should probably stop talking out loud or other monsters are going to start looking at me funny..." Once again he felt Frisk agree with him, which caused him to let out a heavy sigh.

 _'Off we go then...'_ He thought to the child as he began the rest of his journey through the ruins. _'Although I must say... Think? Whatever... It makes things easier that you can read my thoughts. That means I do not have to explain myself, not completely anyway. You can see from my... Scrambled thoughts... That not that long ago, I was trapped in a place called the void... A place of nothing connected to everything...'_ Gaster could feel a bit of confusion from Frisk in couldn't help but let out a slight chuckle outwardly. _'Timelines child... Timelines... Every single timeline is connected through the void. And I had access to every single one... I won't deny it messed with my mind a bit, so I might mix things up from time to time... But what I hope to accomplish in the end is a happy outcome... I have friends and family here in the Underground... All of which... I have failed in so many ways... So, perhaps... Perhaps this is how I could tone to them... Make things right again...'_

Once again he felt a mental hug and couldn't help but once again smile and mentally return it. _'We will make it right... Together.'_ He couldn't help but smile a bit wider as he felt Frisk nodded in agreement, determination feeling them both.

As they traveled, they came upon a bowl of monster candy to which Gaster decided to take one since it could come in handy later. Shortly after that they came to a room with cracks on the floor, the monster in human form narrowed his eyes at the sight. This was another consistency, a trap that drops into a room below. But perhaps he could bypass it?

Taking a few steps back to get a good a running start, he dashed forwarded trying to jump over the weak floor. He succeeded for the most part but ended up having to take a moment to swing his arms in order to keep his balance. When Gaster finally regained his footing, he couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief with a hand held to his chest. Then paused only briefly when he heard Frisk lightly giggling at him, causing him to blush slightly.

Shaking it off, he continued on his way to the next room only to end up pausing to answer the phone. Of course it was Toriel on the other side, no real surprise there. And he listened with a smile as she asked his preference between cinnamon or butterscotch. But then...

"Wait don't tell me. Is it butterscotch?" This caused the former scientist to pause with a raised eyebrow, something about this felt off but he confirmed her assumption nonetheless. This was followed by her chuckling slightly. "I had a feeling. Truthfully, when I first saw you, I felt... Like I was seeing an old friend for the first time. Strange, is it not?"

This caused Gaster to tense up greatly, had she noticed his slip ups? How much did she know? How much did she suspect? Would he end up having to talk truthfully with her?

"Well, thank you for your selection." And just like that she hung up, leaving him to stand there and stare at the phone with slightly wide eyes.

"Variables..." He finally muttered with a heavy sigh after a moment lifting a hand to rub at his, Frisk's, face.

And with that Gaster continued on his way, solving puzzle after puzzle with ease; occasionally getting a phone call from Toriel here and there. Eventually he ended up in a room with a familiar ghost, one he had seen through the timelines that is. If he remembered right, the monster's name was Napstablook. However he couldn't remember if this particular monster played an important role later on. But he was there to try and help everyone, so he took some time to try and cheer up the ghost. Gaster couldn't help but chuckle when the other shared his 'dapperblook' joke and this seemed to please Napstablook. After that the pair exchanged a few more words before going their separate ways.

Very shortly after that he discovered the spider bake sale and couldn't help but stand there and stare at the sign in mild confusion. He could've sworn that there was something important about buying from the bake sale. A slight mental shutter turned his focus toward Frisk who seemed to be remembering something. _'Right... Ms. Muffet... How could I have forgotten THAT encounter...'_

With that thought firmly in mind, he pulled out some coins that have been dropped by some monsters he had encountered up to this point; grabbing the coins because he knew they would come in handy. With coins in hand he bought a spider doughnut and put it away with the monster candy. It had actually been a long time since he had either of those items before, or eaten anything in general, and he vaguely remembered being fond of spider doughnuts. Although the thought seemed to bother Frisk, which caused Gaster to quietly chuckle as he continued on his way.

Soon enough the pair found themselves standing in front of a leafless tree and the voice of an all-too-familiar monster reached their ears. It was of course Toriel, who was in the process of trying to call him. Although she was quick to realize he was standing nearby and even quicker to approach and check Gaster over to make sure he was uninjured. "How did you get here, my child? Are you hurt? There, there, I will heal you."

"I am fine Miss Toriel, really..." He was quick to insist with his best reassuring voice as she began to heal some minor scrapes he had here and there. Mostly failed attempts to fully dodge the few monsters he had encountered into along the way, he had been a scientist after all... Not an athlete.

"I'm sorry, my child. I should not have left you alone for so long. It was irresponsible to try to surprise you like this." The smile that was upon Gaster's, Frisk's, face widened a bit at the goat monster's slightly embarrassed expression at having said that. Although he already knew what the surprise was but chose not to say anything as he followed her into the house.

However the smile faltered slightly as he was welcomed into the house by Toriel. Revealing that the pie with to celebrate his arrival, she was so very lonely here and he knew it. But he couldn't stay... It hurt to think that Gaster would have to break her heart, but it was necessary. Once again he felt a reassuring mental hug from the child, which he returned with a one armed mental hug.

After that, he allowed his old friend show him around the house. The tour ended with his 'room' to which the skeleton entered as Toriel excused herself. With a deep frown he looked about the room at the signs of multiple children having come and gone long before his arrival. The other souls... This he knew without a doubt. With a heavy sigh he walked over to the bed and sat down then rubbed his, Frisk's, face. "I am so exhausted right now... In all forms of it..."

Once again feeling a tugging sensation upon his mind, Gaster let out a small hmmm as he focused upon Frisk. _'What is it?'_ Another tug in the same direction, toward the head of the bed. _'What? You want me to take a nap?'_ Once again he felt the mental nod from the child and couldn't help but frowned slightly. _'I do not know how much time we have, so we should try to get as much done as possible as quickly as possible.'_

Gaster could easily feel the pouting expression directed at him and this was quickly followed by not a tug but a shove. This caused the skeleton monster to chuckle slightly as he finally relented and laid down upon the bed. _'Alright! Alright... I suppose a quick nap would not hurt too terribly much... We have both been through quite a lot... Rest well Frisk...'_

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That's it for chapter two and I know I skipped out on some parts of the ruins but Gaster is trying his best to keep things as close to the good timelines as he can. So to try to keep things from being a little redundant, there will be things that I'll skip. Besides, the real changes are going to come once he's out of the ruins.

On a different note, the story has only been up for about a day and I know I said I'd wait for feedback before posting the next chapter... There hasn't been any reviews... Although I did get a private message from someone asking about the story so I'm going to count that as one. And there is also the fact that up to 48 people have checked out my story since it was put up, 44 of those were in the first day. All in all I'm going to take all of this as a sign that there are at least some people out there that are interested, so I'll keep moving forward with the posts.

That's all for now, until next time. R&R.


	3. Chap3:LonelyRuins and FreshlyFallenSnow

Ending the Cycle

Chapter 3: Lonely Ruins and Freshly Fallen Snow

Darkness was all he could see, no matter what way he looked all there seemed to be was eternal black. Just like... No! He couldn't be back in the void already! Could he? Was his time up already? Moving to place a hand to his face, Gaster was quick to notice that it was actually HIS hand and not the child's. A quick glance over himself revealed that it was his own body, but... But his form wasn't warped or melted, his appearance looked as if he had never fallen into that realm of nothingness. There was no way he could keep a solidified form in that place. So where...?

The sound of all-too-familiar creepy laughter snapped the former scientist out of his thoughts, the pinpricks of light that were his eyes darting around for the source. A chill ran down his spine as he realized he recognized the voice, his brief moment of fear was quickly replaced with anger. "Where are you, you soulless monster?!"

 **"If I'm a monster, then what does that make you doctor?"** Came the haunting voice of an all-too-familiar malevolent spirit.

From a brief moment, Gaster thought he saw a form in the darkness and quickly turned in that direction. "I am a better individual than you ever were Chara..." Came his response without a hint of hesitation, his eye sockets focus on the spot where the form had briefly appeared. "Even when you were alive, I always felt there was something off about you..."

Something else appeared within his peripheral vision, to which he quickly turned to only to see nothing. **"So you were always suspicious of me? Heh! Then why didn't you act sooner? Or were you afraid of making everyone hate you?"**

"Sometimes one must be patient and move slowly in order to catch the snake before it strikes..." Now the skeleton thought he understood what this was, he was dreaming... He had to be. But was Gaster just imagining the corrupt child speaking to him? Or were they actually here?

 **"Oh, I'm here all right..."** Spoke Chara practically directly into his nonexistent ear but when the monster turned there was nothing there. **"And you're correct, this is a dream... And I'm invading it... Consider this a... FRIENDLY reminder that I'm watching... I'm waiting... And if you slip up... I will KILL you! And then I will take Frisk's body and kill everyone all over again! And then I'll kill them again just to spite you! Maybe I'll kill them a fourth time just for fun! Or maybe I'll just erase this worthless world..."**

"I will not let you!" Gaster couldn't help but cry out in the darkness, his hands balling into fists as he glared into the nothingness. "You will not have it your way this time Chara!"

 **"Hahah! Give it your best shot doctor! This should be a fun game..."** Once again Chara's creepy laughter echoed all around him but unlike last time it seemed to grow louder and louder... Until...

Snapping awake with a gasp, the monster in child's form rolled out from under the covers that he had never pulled over himself and onto the floor. Most likely Toriel's doing and the piece of pie placed nearby confirmed this... Gaster leaned back heavily against the side of the bed and took in deep slow breaths as he tried to collect himself.

He could easily feel the worry that Frisk felt for him and after a moment he gave a hesitant chuckle. "Sorry... Bad dream..." These words were true, but at the same time he knew Frisk could see his racing thoughts and thus they knew how bad it truly was.

For another few moments he sat there in silence before finally picking himself up. Then he took a provided napkin to wrap up the piece of pie and carefully slipped it away. It was time to go, he had slept long enough...

With that thought firmly in mind, Gaster picked himself up and exited the bedroom. He knew exactly where he would find Toriel so he wasted no time in getting to her. Standing in the doorway to the room, he looked at the goat monster with a serious expression. "I want to leave the ruins." The statement was made before she had a chance to even greet him and seemed to take her off guard. "I know that... You are lonely here by yourself... I can see it clearly... And I am sorry to do this but I have to go... There are things I need to do..." That was as much as the skeleton monster felt he could tell and he hated seeing that expression on her face.

After that silence hung between them until she abruptly closed the book she was holding, set it aside, then stood up. "I have something to do. Stay here." And with that she was off with Gaster hot on her heels, he followed her down the staircase into a long tunnel. There he continued to follow her as she talked about the exit to the ruins and about how the other monsters would kill him. How Asgore would kill him, this of course was something he already knew. But Gaster also knew that this had to play out, this had to happen.

Soon enough they rounded a corner which opened up to a small chamber with a pair of double doors on the far side, the exit. Once there he stood a crossed from her tensely, waiting for her first attack that he knew was coming. And then the fireballs came one after another, he did his best to dodge but he was no athlete and would occasionally be grazed by the magical fire. Despite this he still kept trying, he kept trying to get through to her. To show her that he wasn't going to fight, that he didn't need to fight to win.

Eventually her attacks started to go awry, veering off to the sides and missing him completely. And soon he didn't even have to move, so he just stood there and met her gaze without flinching. But Toriel couldn't keep eye contact with him very long and ended up glancing to the side.

And then finally the attacks stop coming altogether... "I know you want to go home but..." Actually Gaster never said that, but he wasn't going to correct her. "But please... Go upstairs now." He didn't move a muscle and continued to stand there staring at her sadly. "I promise I will take good care of you here." These were words he didn't doubt, she had been a wonderful mother and a wonderful ruler but he had a task to complete. "I know we don't have much, but..." One doesn't need much to be happy, this was something the skeleton knew all too well. "We can have a good life here. Why are you making this so difficult? Please go upstairs." How badly he wanted to tell her that he was doing this for the sake of everyone but he couldn't, he didn't know who could be listening...

Toriel fell silent before letting out a heartbroken laugh. "Pathetic, is it not? I cannot even save a single child." Another extended silence until she spoke again. "No, I understand. You would just be unhappy trapped down here. The ruins are very small once you get used to them. It would not be right for you to grow up in a place like this." He couldn't help but give her a sad smile and began to close the distance between them. "My expectations... My loneliness... My fear... For you, my child. I will put them aside."

It was at that moment he closed the gap between them and stared up at her sadly. Gaster wanted to comfort her but he didn't know if that would make it worse. Listening heavy heartedly as Toriel stated she would not stop him but requested for him not to come back. When she kneeled down to hug him, the skeleton in child's form did not hesitate to return it. And they stayed like that for several minutes until she finally bid him farewell and departed from the small chamber, taking one last glance at him before leaving.

Standing there in silence for a moment, Gaster lifted a hand to rubbed at his face while letting out a heavy sigh. That was harder than he anticipated, in the emotional sense that is. Then once again he felt that mental hug from the small child as Frisk tried to comfort him. Given a weak smile in return, he could only take a deep breath and proceeded forward.

On the other side of the double doors was a long corridor and this time he was mentally prepared for who was waiting. When Flowey made his presence known, Gaster simply stuck his hands into his, Frisk's, pockets and listened to the plant's ranting. This too was a consistency in all the good timelines and he certainly wasn't bothered by what he heard, more bored then anything. And soon enough the flower departed while laughing maniacally and he was free to continue on his way.

Stepping out into the snowy woods, Gaster took a moment to turned back to the pair of double doors. Placing a hand upon them, his mind stared past them and to the heartbroken monster he left behind. "It will all turn out all right in the end your highness..." He whispered sadly even though the words could not reach her.

Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, the skeleton finally turned away from the doors and began the trek to his old home. He couldn't wait and yet simultaneously dreaded seeing his family again. Although he knew he could open up to at least one of them, but how much to tell? Should he really keep this burden all to himself? Well... Himself and Frisk... No... If something went wrong then he would need the help and he certainly could use the emotional support.

The sound of a breaking branch snapped him out of his thoughts and caused him to glance back the way he came. Right... The first encounter was coming up. So he continued on his way, despite the occasional footfall he would hear somewhere behind him. The situation would have been scary if Gaster didn't already know who it was and thus he knew he had no reason to be worried. But what to say starting off? Then it came to him in a spark of inspiration and caused him to smirk ever so slightly. However, he was quick to school his face when he heard footsteps approaching as he came to a stop by a bridge.

"human. don't you know how to greet a new pal? turn around and shake my hand."

Turning to face the speaker without hesitation, despite their attempt at speaking in an eerie way, he did not take the extended hand. Instead, Gaster simply smiled at the skeleton who was only slightly taller than the body he was now in and said. "As much as I would like to greet you properly, I am afraid not legendary fartmaster. While I must admit that the whoopee cushion in the hand is always funny, it is far too easily a- _void_ -able when you know what to look for." However when he spoke the skeleton in human form made sure to do so in his own unique language that he had not been using up to this point, for obvious reasons.

The reaction was immediate, as all amusement that was in Sans' eyes quickly shifted to surprise and slight hesitation. "g... g-gaster...?"

The hesitant way his name was said caused him to smile wider and tilted his head ever so slightly. "Surprised? That makes two of us." This time when he spoke, the older skeleton stopped using his own language to speak.

"but... how...? last time i saw you... was in that hall and..."

"Ah yes... The judgment hall... I was hoping you would remember that..." Gaster immediately spotted the questioning look the other skeleton was giving him he couldn't help but smile a bit sheepishly. "It is what I have come to call it... You see... While I was in the void, I had the ability to watch countless timelines play out over and over again... And that hall plays a critical role in every single one. However... The majority of those alternate realities are what I have come to call genocide timelines... Usually leading to the complete annihilation of everything... This timeline was no different..." Letting out a heavy sigh, he turned his gaze away from Sans as he continued speaking. "I became so tired of seeing all the death being replayed like an old record... So I tried to find a weak point... A spot where the void's hold was lax enough for me to escape... And that brought me here..."

Briefly he glanced in the younger skeleton's direction to try and judge his reaction. But Sans was just standing there staring at him blankly, hand still held out but he could tell the other was listening so he continued. "You see, I had hoped to absorb the human's soul and force activate their ability to reset the timeline. An ability gained by their determination and the magical properties of the Underground... This would bring the timeline back to when the child fell down here and I know you are thinking, that probably would not change the outcome of events. However, the child's actions were not their own... They were possessed by another spirit... When I tried, and succeeded, in forcing out the spirit however... There was an uncalculated side effect..."

"you ended up possessing the child instead..." Interrupted Sans after having remained silent for so long, to which Gaster nodded in response. "well, you certainly _spirit_ -ed this child away."

Gaster couldn't help the slight snort of amusement then escaped from him. "Apparently it was una- _void_ -able. But someone had to _cut_ that malevolent spirit out of the picture."

"god... i missed ya big bro..." Commented the younger skeleton as he abruptly pulled the monster in human form into a hug.

But before Gaster could even say anything, a long extended sound reached his ears from somewhere behind him. In fact, it sounded like... "Darn it Sans! The whoopee cushion is still on your hand!" He exclaimed in a playful manner while his little brother snickered at his reaction then released him from the hug.

"sorry big g, couldn't help myself." His little brother apologized, although his tone of voice gave the impression that he really wasn't.

Letting out an enduring sigh, although he was still smiling, the other skeleton couldn't help but shake his head. "I suppose it has been a long time... Longer for me than for you... Time holds no meaning in the void... But we can discuss this more at a later date. Somewhere more... Private and out of the potential hearing range of others. Besides, Papyrus should be here anytime now." Once again he received a questioning look from Sans to which he answered with a shrug and simply stated. "Certain things are a consistency and that is one of them."

"i'll take your word for it then." The hooded monster commented with a lazy shrugged as he stuck his hands in his pockets. Then followed after his long-lost brother over toward his sentry post. Once there he glanced toward Gaster with a sideways glance as he asked. "Conveniently-shaped lamp?"

"Conveniently-shaped lamp." The elder brother confirmed with a wide grin and an amused expression, then he ducked behind the item in question. And there the skeleton remained as he listened to his younger siblings humorous conversation while doing his best not to laugh. All too soon he heard the sound of Papyrus leaving and the okay from Sans to come out.

But as Gaster made his way back over, he couldn't help but notice the slightly thoughtful expression on his younger brother's face. "What is rattling around in that skull of yours?"

There was but a brief moment of hesitation before a sigh escaped from the other monster, his gaze shifting away and downward slightly. "i'm gonna take a wild guess that we can't tell paps about you..."

"No..." Came the answer with only a moments hesitation and was followed by a heavy sigh as he too glanced away. "I only told you in hope that you remembered what happened in that hall... I do not know if I will be able to have a second chance at this, so I have to get it right the first time. But if something happens... If I do not succeed... Then someone else needs step in... But it has to be someone who understands the situation..."

"and that's why you chose me..." It was a statement not a question, so his elder brother didn't say anything. Letting out a heavy tired sigh Sans returned his gaze to his brother and couldn't help but think about how weird it was that his brother was actually in there. "you're gonna work me down to the _bone_ , huh?"

The monster in child form couldn't help but give his sibling a smile that was a mixture of hesitation and amusement. To which Sans couldn't help but let out another heavy sigh. "welp, you talked about chatting somewhere private and I just so happen to know a few spots further in. could use a shortcut to get there." The younger skeleton suggested with a dismissive shrug.

"You go on ahead and act like everything is normal, when I get near one of these spots meet up with me then." Immediately he noticed the questioning look he was receiving which he couldn't help but shrugged while lifting his hands slightly. "I need some time to gather my own thoughts on the matter."

It was immediately clear to Sans that was the only explanation he was going to get for the time being, so he relented. "if you say so big g. catch ya later. and... welcome back." And with that his little brother went on his way, leaving him alone with the only other person around.

 _'Welcome back, huh...? I am sorry Sans... But I am pretty sure I am not from this timeline...'_ This thought bothered him greatly since he didn't really know what happened to his own timeline. Was it a genocide one like so many others? Or had they been able to find a happy ending? That's the one he would prefer, but Gaster was a realist... And he had seen far too many genocide timelines to have hope for his own.

Once again he felt the sensation of being pulled into a hug by Frisk which brought a sad smile to the skeleton's face. _'I am sorry Frisk... I suppose in the end it does not really matter where I came from. I am here now, for now. And this is the timeline I am trying to save. Let us be on our way, my brothers are waiting...'_ The sad smile shifted to that of slight happiness at the thought of his siblings and the fact that right now they were alive and well. And he planned to keep it that way...

* * *

And that's it for this chapter, like I said this is where the real differences are going to come in.

On an unrelated note, I recently joined a role-playing forum for Undertale. There's only a few of us right now but that also means there's a lot of characters up for grabs. The forum is simply called Undertale RP and is run by WolfofIce88. So if you like to role-play then come join us.

That's all for now, until next time. R&R.


	4. Chapter 4: Heart to Heart

Ending the Cycle

Chapter 4: Heart to Heart

Shortly after parting ways with his family, the skeleton came upon a magical storage box. Being rather familiar with the storage unit he did not hesitate to put away the spider donut and pie, as well as the bandage he found on his person. With that done he glanced down the two pathways they could take and immediately saw one led to a river.

That left the other path and he was quick to spot the next consistency long before he was spotted. But he stood there casually with his hands behind his back and a slight smile on his face as he waited for his two little brothers to notice him.

"SO, AS I WAS SAYING ABOUT UNDYNE," The taller of the pair was in the process of saying before cutting himself off and looked Gaster's way in obvious surprise. Then Papyrus looked to the skeleton next to him as Sans looked his way, to which Gaster briefly winked at him. And he could immediately tell from the slight widening of the smaller skeleton's smile that Sans had caught on.

Soon enough the former scientist watched in mild amusement as his two younger brothers comically kept turning back to one another and him until finally they both faced his direction. "SANS! OH MY GOD! IS THAT... A HUMAN?!" Questioned the youngest brother in the lowest voice that he was capable of, which was still fairly audible.

"uhhhh... actually, i think that's a rock."

"OH."

"hey, what's that in front of the rock?" Following along with the comedic skeleton, Gaster gave them a wave and an amused smile.

"OH MY GOD!" Exclaimed Papyrus, who immediately leaned in and whispered. "IS... IS THAT A HUMAN?"

"yes."

Once again placing his hands behind his back, the older skeleton watch with great amusement as his youngest sibling got over excited and began talking about how popular he was going to be. This was of course followed by declarations that the human would not pass and would end up being captured. Then the taller skeleton took off to prepare while laughing happily.

This once again left the two elder brothers alone as the monster in human form moved to stand beside Sans. "well now paps knows you're around, even if..."

"Bonds must be established even if... Who I truly am is never learned... It is essential. Besides... I do not even know if I am remembered." With those depressing word said he continued walking, well aware that he would run into his brother again at some point up ahead.

Gaster felt the child take hold of his hand through their shared mind and he could sense their worry. _'I will be alright Frisk. Sans knows about me, remembers me, and I also have you.'_ Both of these facts brought him some form of comfort but there was the thought of what would happen to him when all was said and done. One thing he did know for sure, he couldn't continue to possess the human like this as it was unfair to Frisk; he wouldn't regardless of what might happen to him.

Due to being so focused on his internal conversation and thoughts, the monster in human form paid no mind to a sign he happened to pass by. That was until he came to stand almost directly in front of a sentry post and saw a bit of movement with in and was immediately followed by a voice. "Did something move?"

Immediately he came to a complete stop and watch the dog sentry with bated breath, he'd rather avoid as much conflict as possible. With that in mind Gaster hoped that the dog monster would go back to whatever he was doing. And thankfully after a moment the monster did just that while muttering to himself. Taking in a deep breath, the skeleton slowly inched forward while trying to be as quiet as possible. Little by little he sneaked his way past the sentry post, making sure to stop completely when the dog was focused on his surroundings.

Almost there... He was almost there... And then... _CRUNCH!_ Internally Gaster groaned as he stepped on an area of snow that hadn't been flattened down by multiple footsteps. "Something move!" In a panic the skeleton in human form took off running, the other monster right behind him.

Coming to a quick decision, he abruptly ducked between some trees and bushes then went completely still. The dog sentry paused and again glancing around suspiciously. Taking another moment to think over his options, Gaster slowly checked what items he had on him. All he had was the monster candy and... A stick? A stick! That could do the trick, so he waited until the monster had turned away from him. Once they had, he was quick to throw the stick back in the direction of the sentry post.

This resulted in the dog monster turning that way upon hearing the noise of the stick hitting the ground, then yelling about movement before running off barking. Giving it another moment, the skeleton quickly stepped back onto the path and darted away before he could be noticed.

Gaster finally came to a stop once he reached an area with an ice covered pond, the former scientist put a hand to his chest as he tried to collect his breath. "Well, I will be _dog-_ gone if that was not a close one..." He couldn't help but lightly joke despite himself, getting a small giggle out of the child.

However he heard another sound that seemed to be someone trying to suppress laughter and he recognized the voice. "But I certainly _threw_ caution to the wind." Came his next joke without hesitation as a slight smirk crossed his face when the laughter increased. "At least I was able to a- _void_ a _ruff_ situation."

There was no longer any attempt to suppress the laughter that was coming from just within the tree line. With an amused grin, Gaster walked over to the sound and found Sans standing there laughing his skull off. One hand on his head while the other was on his knee as he was bent forward slightly. With a warm smile he leaned against the tree trunk closest to his brother, his hands casually behind his back as he waited for the other to collect himself.

After a bit more, the younger skeleton seemed to finally calmed down and returned his hands to his pockets. Then he too moved and leaned against the same trunk as his older brother. "those were some pretty good ones big g." Sans finally commented with amusement clear in his voice.

"I suppose." He answered with a dismissive shrug and then his smile faltered some. "Is this one of those private spots you mentioned?" Upon receiving a confirmation, Gaster couldn't help but take a deep breath and let it out in a slow sigh. "Listen Sans... There is something you should know... It is most likely that I am not your Gas-"

"i know." The shorter skeleton cut him off with before he even had a chance to finish. This caused the monster in child form to glance the other's way with a questioning look. "i figured that out when you said you tried to find a weak point in the void. and if there really are countless timelines then the likeliness of you finding your own are slim to none. but that doesn't change the fact that you're here, or the fact that you're trying to make a difference. so don't let it bother you bro."

These words brought quite a bit of comfort to the former scientist, his head lowering slightly as his eyes closed. "Thank you..."

"so... if there are countless timelines, that means there are countless variations of me, paps and you out there. and i doubt the relationships between us are the same in every single one." Commented the short skeleton in an offhand manner, his own gaze upwards.

This of course caused Gaster to return his gaze to his brother with a raised eyebrow. "That is correct. In some of them we are brothers, while in some I am yours and Papyrus' father, and others we have no relationship at all, and then... There are the ones I do not want to think about..." A shiver ran down his spine as he briefly thought about the ones where the younger skeletons were nothing but experiments. "What brought this up?"

"well, i was just wondering what kind of relationship we had in your timeline." Now the older skeleton understood where this was going. It seems that Sans might be a little conscious about referring to him as brother if Gaster himself viewed them differently.

"We are... Were..?" Trailing off briefly, he once again glanced away before shaking his head then focused on the snow by his feet. "I was an older brother doing everything I could to provide for my rambunctious and troublemaking younger siblings. _Tibia_ honest, you two were quite a _hand-_ ful." The puns caused them both to laugh slightly before the air became tense and serious again.

"how did..." Sans started to say then seemed to trail off as if he was hesitant, then he let out a heavy sigh. "how did it make you feel seeing us die in those other timelines?"

"It was..." Pausing a moment to take a breath to collect himself, the older skeleton couldn't help but wonder once again where this topic was going. "It was devastating... Every time it hurt just as much... Perhaps even more given how many times I had to watch those scenes play out... It did not matter if they were from my timeline or not... I viewed them all the same regardless..."

"i see... welp, then as far as i'm concerned you're my big bro g. so what's next g?" And just like that the tension in the air was gone.

When Gaster glanced up at his younger brother, he found Sans looking right back at him with a wide genuine smile. Glancing down just briefly, he took a moment to collect his thoughts before looking back to the other skeleton. "First and foremost you should know is that my mind... Is a little unstable... Scrambled more like... I have seen so many events a crossed so many timelines for such an extended period of time that sometimes I... Mix them up..."

"okay, so you need someone to help keep your head on straight. i can do that so long as i know the gist of what needs to be done." Came the easy response with a slight dismissive shrug, although the older skeleton could easily spot the bit of worry in his sibling's expression; even if they tried to hide it.

"Indeed. Of course, you will not be the only one helping me with that." When he received a questioning look, the former scientist tapped the side of his, Frisk's, head slightly as he spoke. "The child is in here, do not forget. Frisk can hear and see everything that I do. Ah... Frisk is the child's name."

"so you're saying that the kiddo is conscious in there?" Questioned Sans after a small pause and there was also a hint of hesitation in his tone of voice.

"Yes, very much so. And do not worry for my well-being, Frisk feels extremely guilty for what they were forced to do. They have not even spoken a word to me this entire time. If not for the mental link we share that allows me to feel their emotions, I would question if they were even in here at all." Once again he could feel Frisk mentally lean into his back, it was almost as if the child was trying to hide behind him. Strong emotions of regret and sorrow were coming through to the monster, which caused him to sigh heavily. "They are deeply sorry for what happened before the reset."

There was another moment of silence before Gaster decided to continue the conversation. "Speaking of my presence in this body..." As this was said he lifted a hand to stare at it with a small frown. "I think I now understand why this became a possession instead of an absorption."

"oh yeah? and?"

"It is because of the state of my soul..." He could feel his brother's gaze more focused upon him but the monster in human form did not look his way. "My soul... Has not exactly been whole since my... Accident... My body and soul were scattered a crossed the void and... Well... It took a long while for enough of my being to gather in one place enough to even generate any sort of form at all."

"heh... you did look a little out of _shape_." Joked the younger skeleton as he directed his gaze away once again. "so basically what you're saying is that since your soul wasn't exactly whole, then you weren't able to absorb the kid's soul."

"That is correct."

"but how did it become a possession then? wouldn't you have simply not been able to do it." That question was something that had passed through Gaster's mind right off the bat but events forced him to put it to the side. Now that it was being asked, he had to take some time to go over what he did know.

The hand that the monster in human form had been staring at was now lifted to his chin in a thoughtful manner. "That is something I have been wondering as well to be honest... However the only explanation I have at this time is human determination." He finally admitted with a shrug while glancing back to Sans. Upon receiving a look that seemed to say 'elaborate', the former scientist couldn't help but once again shrugged as he continued speaking. "Determination is a very powerful thing. During my studies of the human soul I came to learn that there are different attributes that are represented by different colors. All humans contain determination, however red souls have so much determination that they can some what defy reality."

"the resets."

"The resets." Gaster said in confirmation, one hand now pointing upward briefly. "But it is more than that, red soul humans have the ability to come back after being killed. The best way to describe it is like saving your progress on a project through a computer. If you mess up you go back to a previous save or if the computer loses power, you don't lose that much progress. These can also be viewed as a minor reset which may make one lose only minutes rather than hours or days. Some of the humans that I witnessed in other timelines would use this to memorize attack patterns of particularly difficult opponents."

"that's... actually kinda scary... knowing that no matter what you do your enemy is just gonna keep coming back to fight you over and over again." Commented Sans with a slightly nervous chuckle while briefly running a hand over his skull. "so how do you beat someone like that?"

"Keep trying until they lose their determination... Although I have very rarely seen it happen... Thankfully, red soul humans aren't very common. In every timeline I viewed I only ever saw two that I was aware of. The first fallen human who was adopted by the royal family and Frisk. However, I do not know the full extent of what a red soul is capable of. Just when I think I know their capabilities, I see something new. Sometimes the Frisk of another timeline will find a way to break the reset ability to it prevented from ever being used again. And sometimes they will find a different way to use their abilities, such as their ability to save." Once again he could see the questioning look he was being given but he raised a hand to stall whatever question was coming.

"I am getting to it... I promise." A slight huff escaped from his brother, who finally decide to slide down the trunk into a sitting position. However Gaster chose to remain standing but he did send a small smile the other skeleton's way. "Like I mentioned, red soul's can save their progress and backtrack to that point. However, during the final conflict in many of the pacifist timelines Frisk found a way to change how save works. Instead of saving progress they had figured out how to change it to save others."

"This of course leads to the process that I must try to replicate..." The former scientist couldn't help but say with a heavy sigh while rubbing his, Frisk's, forehead. "Are you familiar with a little yellow talking flower?"

"what about the weed? what does he have to do it this?" The disdain in Sans' voice clearly stated he had a history with the mutated plant and not a good one.

"Flowey... What a ridiculous name he chose for himself... He is soulless... Has no capability of feeling whatsoever, at least nothing positive. He is the main individual I need to be absolutely clueless. He cannot know what I am trying to do because he holds the key." This led to a long explanation of who the mutated plant used to be. Which also led to the explanation of who the malevolent spirit was that had been possessing Frisk, not to mention both soulless beings' interest in the child. Gaster also explained what he needed to do to get the results he was looking for and what those end results were.

"so... you're going to try to manipulate the manipulating little weed and get him to break the barrier?" Inquired the other monster once the explanation was done and he had a few moments to let it all sink in.

"That is right. And that is how it goes for the pacifist timelines that I can recall and the ultimate goal I hope to achieve for this timeline. If all goes well, your role be minor. In the events I can recall easily, you would periodically show up to spend time with Frisk or give them advice. But nothing really more than that, other than the final conflict... Although I suppose that in of itself is probably rather frightening to think about." Silently he couldn't help but wonder if perhaps he revealed to much to his younger brother. Put too much weight on the younger skeleton's shoulders...

There was only but a moment of silence before a sigh escaped from the one beside him. "welp... if that's what has to be done then i'll trust you big g. although i don't know why you would need my help if i'm supposed to play a minor role, like you said."

Relief filled the older skeleton when Sans agreed to his plan and he couldn't help but smile at his younger brother. "You can help keep me grounded, keep my mind focused when my scrambled thoughts start to get to me. If they get to me... And you can help in case something does not go as planned. I have noticed a few unique variables that differ from other timelines but so far nothing that would dramatically change the outcome. However, one change can cause a ripple effect.

"such as you telling me everything about this." Pointed out the normally lazy skeleton, to which he couldn't help but hum in agreement. "you know you really got carried away with your spiel and never really explained how determination resulted in you possessing the kid."

"I did not?" Questioned Gaster in mild confusion as he tried to replay everything that he had said. But he quickly found himself unsure of what he had or hadn't revealed, unfortunately his thoughts had become a little scrambled with all the information he had given. "I apologize... I did not realize I had not..."

Taking a moment to shake his head and collect his thoughts, the skeleton in human form began to rub one arm with his other hand in a nervous fashion. However before any comments could be made, he continued speaking. "When I attempted to absorb the child's soul, I found that... For lack of a better word... That they were reaching out to me... Trying to accept me... And desperately so. Frisk wanted to be free so badly that they were willing to take a risk with a stranger. I think their determination is what made the process successful in a sense... Since, as stated earlier, absorption could not take place."

"so basically you probably would've failed if not for the kid." Came the blunt statement from the skeleton sitting next to him, which caused him to flinch ever so slightly due to the tone that was used.

"Yes... That is highly likely..." Admitted Gaster in a slow and slightly drawnout manner, his gaze directed away from Sans. He went to say more but ended up taking a sharp intake of breath as he spotted an all too familiar form standing amongst the trees, staring at them with blood red eyes.

Quick to notice the change of demeanor the younger monster was even quicker to inquire with a worried tone of voice. "what is it g?"

The monster in human form couldn't help but blink and when he looked again the figure was gone without a trace. "It...I-It is nothing... My eyes are just playing tricks on me... I have not had proper rest in a long time..." Finally came the answer in reply as a hand was lifted to rub his face. "I think we should move on for now... My mind is getting a little mixed up with all the information sharing... Plus... Papyrus is waiting."

Finally he turned back to his younger brother and gave the other a weak smile. "Perhaps by the time we reach the next 'safe spot' I will be able to sort out my thoughts enough to answer any other questions you may have."

There was a moment of silence which was broken by a sigh and the sound of Sans getting up. "sure big g... just don't work yourself down to the bone. you hear me? your not alone in this now, although I'd rather be taking a nap." There was a hint of teasing in his tone of voice as his endless smile grew a bit wider. "but then if i did i wouldn't be able to spend time with my awesome big brother as he tries to save the world." As this was said the skeleton lightly tapped Gaster on the shoulder with a fist.

"Oh yes... Just what I always wanted... Juggling family time while simultaneously performing death-defying feats while also possessing the body of another like some sort of character in one of Alphys' animes..." The former scientist couldn't help but say in a slightly sarcastic manner while rolling his eyes. This of course brought a laugh from his brother, who then proceeded to give him a pat on the back and a thumbs-up.

After that Sans went off to meet up their youngest brother which once again left him and Frisk alone on the edge of the clearing with the frozen pond. So the skeleton took a moment to collect himself and took in a deep breath of the cool air. However an abrupt coughing fit snuck up on him at that time and Gaster ended up leaning against one of the trees while clutching his chest.

After a few more minutes the brief coughing fit subsided and he spent another moment to collect his breath. _'I am all right Frisk... Most likely just breathed in to deeply, it happens sometimes.'_ He was quick to think to the child when he felt their deep concern for him. And once the monster was sure he was all right, he continued on his way without a second thought.

* * *

That's all for this chapter and I can't help but say I ended up rewriting half of it. I quickly realized I was advancing some of the plot to quickly, as to what that plot is... You'll just have to wait and see.

On different note, a realization hit me while I was lying in bed the other night... One of my reviewers referred to Frisk and Gaster's situation as G!Frisk, which isn't inaccurate... However I didn't think of it as an actual Undertale AU until now, which makes me want to make this into a comic even more... But what could this AU even be called? Anyone have any ideas? Regardless, I'm really wanting to see this as a comic now... So that means I have to start practicing my drawing again... Going to start with cover art... Wish me luck.

Anyway that's all for now, until next time. R&R.


	5. Chapter 5: Family Bonding

Ending the Cycle

Chapter 5: Family Bonding

His mind was a mixture of muddled thoughts, information, and images that kept spinning around in an endless cycle. Since sharing knowledge with his younger brother, Gaster was having a hard time trying to collect himself. Although part of him was glad that he was able to reveal so much before this happened, while the other part of him was frustrated that this was happening at all. However, he would probably be a little worse off if not for the constant presence of Frisk trying to comfort him. Ever since his small coughing fit, the child had taken hold of his 'hand' and has since refused to let go; although it was only a few minutes ago so it was understandable.

Of course due to the skeleton's mental state, he didn't even realize that he had come upon the next consistency until he heard the loud voice of his youngest sibling. This caused him to snap out of the train wreck that was his thoughts and focused his gaze on his siblings a crossed the clearing. But he still was so out of it that Gaster didn't even pay attention as the two monsters talked to one another.

"OH-HO! THE HUMAN ARRIVES!" Of course it didn't take them terribly long to notice him but he still had a bit of trouble focusing on what was being said. "IN ORDER TO STOP YOU... AH... HUMAN...? ARE... ARE YOU OKAY? YOU SEEM A LITTLE..."

The inconsistency from the normal dialogue caused the former scientist to be able to focus a little better. And upon spotting the concern upon Papyrus' face, the monster in child form shoved the cacophony of confusion to the back of his mind. The last thing he wanted to do was to worry his brothers and now that he was paying more attention even Sans was looking at him with concern.

"I am fine." Finally came his response with a hesitant smile and a wave. "Just overwhelmed by your greatness." These were his first words spoken to his youngest sibling in such a long time and were certainly far from what he would like to say. But he had to stick to the plan... They had to get this right... "Please continue."

"AH HA! EVEN THE HUMAN RECOGNIZES GREATNESS WHEN THEY SEE IT!" Came the over joyous response which then led into the explanation of the puzzle itself, another consistency.

However now Gaster was able to pay better attention, the scrambled mess was still in his mind but it was more like background noise now. It would either go away in time or come back with a vengeance later on, he would deal with it then and there; not now.

Right now he had to focus on the puzzle itself and so he took a step forward when direct to proceed. And he certainly couldn't help but wince slightly when he heard the sound of Papyrus being zapped. This of course led to another short conversation between his younger brothers before the taller of the pair came over to him and asked him to hold the orb. Although Gaster had to take a step back to catch the item in question as it was tossed to him, rather than handed. But after that it was a simple matter of following the path that Papyrus had unintentionally made when he came to hand off the orb.

Immediately the tall monster became amazed by how easily he solved it, ignorant in the fact that he had shown Gaster the way. Then once again Papyrus was off while declaring that he would be unable to beat the next puzzle, which was Sans'.

"Papyrus seems like he is having fun." With the first words out of his mouth once he was standing beside his younger brother again. "Of course that sentence is a consistency that you normally say. I think..." The monster in human form glanced away slightly as he tried to recall but immediately stopped himself with a shake of the head or else the cacophony of confusion would return in full force. "It does not matter..."

"you're not okay." This was a statement not a question, which caused Gaster to smile nervously at his brother while shrugging slightly. "what's wrong?"

Opening his mouth, the older brother almost responded with the default answer of 'I'm fine' but stopped himself since he had opened up to Sans for situations like this. "I will be alright... There was just too much information sharing when last we spoke... And now my thoughts are... Rather scrambled. I was most likely thinking of too much information at one time. And that is making me a little... Disconnected." The concern upon Sans' face grew a bit more but he was quick to try and wave off the concern. "I will be fine, I assure you. I just need some time to allow my head to clear."

The other monster listened in silence then let out a slightly tired sounding sigh before turning and starting to walk. "follow me, kiddo."

That single word made the former scientist realize that they weren't exactly in a safe spot to discuss such things so openly. So with a small frown he followed after his younger brother and over to a... Nice cream cart? Observing Sans in mild confusion, he watched as the skeleton bought two nice creams then handed him one. With frozen treat in hand, his younger brother continued to lead him across a small bridge and to the far side of the clearing beyond it. Once there he took a seat at the base of one of the trees and leaned back against the trunk. "we can talk freely here."

Head tilting to the side in mild confusion, the older skeleton finally followed his brother's example and took a seat beside him. "So why the nice creams?"

"i figured this might help to _cool_ down your raging thoughts." Commented Sans with a slightly wider grin before continuing. " _tibia_ honest you had me pretty worried back there, especially when paps picked up that something was wrong."

The concern and the intent to help were greatly appreciated by Gaster as he idly stared at the nice cream in his hand. "Sorry to have worried you as such but I did warn you about this. Although I did not expect it to come up so soon..."

"like i said before g, you're not alone. you got me and the kid. so don't go off and try to _hand_ -le everything by yourself. all right?" Despite the joke mixed in, he could easily hear the concern and the sincerity in the other monsters voice.

And as if to confirm his words, the skeleton felt Frisk gripped his 'hand' a little tighter and felt the sensation of the child leaning into him. In fact it was like they were both sitting on either side of him and that's when it finally hit Gaster that he was no longer alone. Logically, he knew he wasn't but it hadn't really clicked until now. At that very moment he was sitting there with one of his brothers and a rather sweet human child, no longer was he isolated in the void.

His grip on the stick of the nice cream tightened a bit as Gaster became a little overwhelmed by a new realization. And that realization was the fact that in a way he was living again, he was no longer alone or trapped. He could touch things and more than that he could interact with things, with others.

Glancing over to Sans, he found his brother watching him with slightly concerned eyes and then he abruptly remembered a question was asked. Unable to find his voice at the moment, Gaster responded by giving a weak smile and a nod.

This of course caused the younger skeleton to sigh, his eyes closing, but before anything could be said Sans felt the weight of the small body next to him lean into his side. The child's head was turned down, causing the hair to hide the eyes and part of the the nice cream was now in his mouth. "seriously bro, what's wrong?"

There was only a moments hesitation before the treat was removed so that his older brother could speak. "Just... Overwhelmed... It has just now really sunk in that I am no longer... Sans... I... Through all of this... I can interact with the world again... Interact with others... I can talk to you again... I suppose not again... Since I did not belong in this timeline initially... But... You understand... I am just... Glad... No... I am very happy to do something as simple as sit here and have a nice cream with my brother..." Towards the end Gaster's voice began to shake slightly as tears began to form in the corner of his, Frisk's, eyes.

"i'm happy too big g..." Came the answer in return with a slight sigh and a weak smile, although only those who truly knew him would be able to tell the difference. After that the pair fell silent and simply sat there enjoying one another's company while eating their frozen treats.

The simplicity of the moment helped to ease the former scientist's mental and emotional stress, and soon a genuine smile came to his face. And the brothers continued to sit there even after finishing their nice creams. So serene was the moment that Gaster began to doze off until something cold was dumped on his head.

With a slight yelp of surprise, the skeleton in child form hopped up onto his feet and began to frantically glance around. Then the sound of laughter from almost directly next to him brought his gaze to Sans who was leaning against the trunk heavily, one hand on his face while the other was wrapped around his stomach area. It took but a moment of silence blank staring before it clicked into Gaster's head exactly what had just happened... Sans had dumped a bunch of snow on his head.

Standing there for a moment more and staring at his sibling, who was still laughing heavily, a slight smirk lit up his face. Then he quickly and quietly gathered up a big bunch of snow while his brother was still preoccupied. Once the skeleton had what he felt was a sufficient amount, he walked over to his little brother who was still laughing with the snow held high. "Sans..." Gaster said in a drawnout and slightly mischievous manner and right when the other skeleton began to look his way, he dropped the snow on the other monster.

"ack!" Sounded his brother in obvious amusement while quickly picking himself up, grabbing a handful of snow as he went. And Sans wasted no time in throwing the quickly made snowball at the monster in child form, who was quick to duck behind one of the trees. This resulted in a snowball fight breaking out between the pair as well as teasing verbal challenges twisted into puns.

After a short bit, Sans decided to try and one up the older skeleton and used his magic to gather up enough snow to make a snowman or two. "heeeey broooo..." He called out and patiently waited until Gaster was out from behind cover fully, snowball in hand and ready to throw. However his older brother immediately paused upon seeing the mound of floating snow. "geeeet dunked on!"

And just like that the former scientist found himself nearly buried, but despite this he was still laughing as he pulled himself out of the mound. " _Ice_ one Sans! But I am sure I could do better!" He was quick to joke as he picked himself up then raised a hand and try to call upon his magic...

Only for nothing to happen... This caused him to pause momentarily in confusion and try again. Nothing once more... Now a worried expression crossed Gaster's face as his gaze shifted to his hand, which he had turned palm up. Again, he tried to use magic... Any magic... Even something as simple as forming a small bone but again nothing...

"what's wrong big g?" Came the voice of his little brother from right in front of him. Upon seeing the change in demeanor, Sans was quick to realize something was wrong and immediately came over to check on him.

"I cannot..." Were the first words out of Gaster's mouth before he trailed off and his worried gaze shifted to the skeleton before him. "My magic... I cannot use it... This... This might complicate things..."

If Sans' could frown he would be right then, however his eyes did darken at the revelation of this news. There was a moment of silence between the two as both were thinking over the situation. Then the pinpricks of light that served as the younger skeleton's eyes returned as he released a heavy sigh. "the kid doesn't have magic... not the kind of magic we use, anyhow. and do you think you'll really need it?"

"I..." The monster in human form trailed off for a moment as he thought about the other timelines. Once again he felt a mental tug as this was one of Frisk's ways to get his attention, but he also felt an increase in determination from the child. It was as if they were determined to make this work even without his magic and that brought a slight smile to his face. That determination was one of the key factors needed to make this all work. And if Frisk was so determined... "No... It is not necessary to complete my plans, it was just extra reassurance that I thought I had. One of the main determining factors is Frisk's determination, which is currently the strongest that I have felt at this moment. I will manage without it." Gaster finally stated with a smile then couldn't help but shudder slightly.

Relief had crossed Sans' face momentarily before worry once again set in. "oh, come on big bro... what now?"

"I... I think I am experiencing the sensation of cold for the first time..." This was also confirmed by the child with a mental nod as they too shivered slightly. Instinctively wrapping his arms around himself, the scientist part of his brain chose to kick in at that moment. "This is fascinating. I was always curious what it felt like and I suppose I have been feeling it this entire time but I simply did not recognize it. How could I? Skeletons do not feel cold. However, the sensation is rather... Unpleasant..."

This brought a slightly suppressed chuckle from his younger brother with a hand to his face. "god bro... i thought we're gonna have to deal with another pressing situation of some sort."

Giving Sans an amused yet apologetic smile, Gaster couldn't help but say. "I apologize..."

"it's fine and easily dealt with." Came the dismissive answer as he began to remove his jacket. "here, you can use this in the meantime. just don't _flake_ out on me and forget to return it." Lightly joked Sans as he held the coat out to Gaster with a wide genuine grin.

"Thank you Sans. I promised to return it once we get to Waterfall." Came the quick reassurance from his brother as the coat was taken and pulled on.

"whelp, _water_ we waiting for? let's get going. don't want paps to get to _bonely_ after all." These words of course brought great amusement to his older brother as they once again went their separate ways.

Of course it took practically no time at all for Gaster to be reunited with both his siblings not too long after. And this time his mind was perfectly clear as he greeted them with a wave and a smile. However his smile faltered slightly as he watched their conversation, another consistency. The skeleton couldn't wait to see an end to the repeat of events, to see time go forward instead of repeating or ceasing to be.

A slight mental tug was the only reminder the monster needed to quickly returned his focus to the present. So without hesitation he walked forward, only pausing briefly to glance down at the paper on the ground that was supposed to be a puzzle. While it WAS a puzzle, it was clearly not the kind of puzzle that Papyrus wanted his brother to set up. With a smile and an amused shake of his head, Gaster continued moving forward until he was standing right in front of them. This being one of the few times that he had been closest to his youngest brother in uncountable amount of time.

Slightly absentmindedly, he glanced up at the taller skeleton and calculated his youngest brother's height compared to his original height. And after a moment he came to the conclusion that Papyrus now stood slightly taller than him. How the passing of time could change so many things...

The monster in child form was quick to snap out of his thoughts as he was asked a question of which type of puzzle was harder. There was certainly no hesitation as Gaster claimed that jumble was by far the harder, which greatly pleased the youngest skeleton present. And just like that Papyrus was once again off to prepare the next challenge. Although this time no words were exchanged between him and Sans, there was no need to at the moment when a simple exchange of smiles told so much more.

And just like that the former scientist continued on his way, passing by Papyrus' 'spaghetti trap' along the way. However upon arriving in the next area Gaster ended up pausing as he tried to remember how to pass this part. But with a helpful nudge from Frisk the skeleton was quick to find the switch and continued on his way.

Only to be stopped by a pair of dog sentrys... But luck was on his side as the monster couple took one sniff of him and immediately smelt Sans due to the fact that he was wearing his younger brother's jacket. After that the dog monsters were quick to apologize and move on their way, without him having to say a word thankfully.

Solving the puzzle that came after was a simple matter and he was able to have his first briefing one-on-one encounter with his youngest sibling. And when the skeleton asked him about the 'spaghetti trap' Gaster was quick to tell him that he ate it, which of course made his brother really happy.

But instead of running off to the next puzzle like every other situation he could recall, the monster in human form found the other looking at him in slight confusion. "THAT COAT LOOKS ODDLY FAMILIAR... IF THE GREAT PAPYRUS MAY ASK, WHERE DID YOU GET IT?"

"Oh... Well..." Taking but a moment to consider what to say, he saw no reason not tell a partial truth. "It is Sans' coat, he is letting me borrow it because he saw I was cold earlier."

"WOWIE! THAT WAS CERTAINLY NICE OF HIM! SANS CAN BE SUCH A LAZYBONES BUT SOMETIMES HE DOES SOMETHING THAT MAKES ME REALLY PROUD!" Stated Papyrus in an over excited tone of voice, sounding sincerely happy of his older brother's actions. "AND THEN HE DOES THINGS THAT MAKE ME QUIESTION WHAT GOES ON IN THAT SKULL OF HIS... LIKE THAT SOCK COLLECTION HE HAS..."

The majority of this conversation was new to the former scientist, but he was sure he had heard something about a sock collection in one of the other timelines. And while Gaster also thought it was a strange thing to collect, he also knew that there was worse things one could collect. "As odd as it may seem, at least it shows he had an interest in something. Something his willing to dedicate time into, rather than doing nothing at all."

"THAT IS... ACTUALLY A GOOD POINT... I THE GREAT PAPYRUS..." He took a moment to pose dramatically with one hand on his hip and the other touching his chest. Then abruptly Papyrus' expression became slightly downcast as he continued. "AM ACTUALLY DISAPPOINTED THAT I DIDN'T COME TO THAT REALIZATION MYSELF... BUT NO MATTER! FOR YOU HAVE OPENED MY EYE SOCKETS HUMAN! AND I WILL NOT SOON FORGET YOUR WORDS OF WISDOM! COME! LET US BE OFF TO THE NEXT PUZZLE TOGETHER!"

With a smile and a nod, the skeleton in human form walked along beside his youngest brother and listened to him talk about the next puzzle with great enthusiasm. And once again he couldn't help but take great enjoyment in something so simple as listening to a loved one talk about something they enjoy.

It took no time at all to reach the next puzzle and even less time for Gaster to solve it. And of course once again, Papyrus was amazed by his puzzle solving skills and was off to prepare the next challenge. And standing casually on the other side of the blockade was his other brother.

"Papyrus asked about your coat." He commented offhandedly with a shrug once he reached Sans.

"oh yeah? what did you tell him?" Inquired the normally lazy skeleton, he was currently wearing a spare jacket that was a slightly different shade of blue and had a simple hood versus the fur lined one his coat normally had.

Once again shrugging casually, he put his hands into the pockets of his borrowed coat as he answered. "I told him that you saw I was cold and let me borrow it for the time being. I saw no reason to hide that fact. And he was actually rather proud of your course of action."

"that right? my little bro is cool like that." Came the immediate response from Sans as his endless grin widened a bit. "let's get going, kiddo. paps is really excited about the next one." This statement was accompanied by a slight nod of the head in the direction that their youngest brother had went.

With a nod and a smile, Gaster continued on to the next consistency and one he was actually slightly curious about. Upon arriving at the next puzzle, he stood there silently and listened well carefully observing the unlit panels in front of him. Then his gaze shifted to machine on the far side that was designed to activate this particular puzzle, interest clear on his face. After the explanation was given and he confirmed that he understood the instructions, the puzzle was activated and... Created one clear path for him to walk, which resulted in his youngest sibling walking away in silence disbelief.

After crossing the panels, he stopped to look back at the colored sections then glanced to the machine itself. "It was always curious how a device designed for random patterns would always come up with the same one... Is it fate perhaps? Or faulty machinery?" He couldn't help but question out loud without meaning to.

"perhaps both." Commented his remaining younger brother as the other monster moved to stand beside him, his gaze also on the machine. The pair stood there in silence for a bit until Sans once again lightly tapped his shoulder while speaking. "whelp, i'm gonna head off. see you later kid." And with those parting words the other skeleton was off to meet him somewhere up ahead.

And once again Gaster was left alone with only Frisk to keep him company. Speaking of which, the child had been rather still through most of this; even if he could feel the other's emotions through the link they shared. _'Are you well Frisk?'_ He inquired of the human as he moved on to the next puzzle which involved sliding a crossed ice.

Feeling the obvious hesitation from the child, the former scientist walked over to the edge of the ice and glanced over the pattern as he patiently waited for a response from Frisk. Finally he felt a slight mental nod from the young human which was accompanied by something he thought he would never hear. _'I didn't want to bother you when you're spending time with your family...'_

Those words were said in such a soft tone of voice that Gaster briefly wondered if he actually heard them. Turning his focus away from the puzzle, a soft smile appeared on the skeleton's face as he pulled Frisk into a mental hug and spoke with a gentle voice. _'That is sweet of you and while I appreciate it... But I do not want you to feel awkward or left out. We are in this together after all. Besides, my mind is like an open book to you, so privacy is the least of my concerns.'_

 _'Okay...'_ Came the soft-spoken voice of the child once again and he was just glad to hear Frisk speaking to him at all. _'That snowball fight between you and Sans was really funny to watch.'_ These words were followed by a soft giggle and even the monster couldn't help but smile a bit wider.

 _'It was qui-'_ The skeleton had started to reply as he began to slide along the edge of the ice. However, his sentence was quickly cut off as he reached a hand up to cover his mouth as he began to cough. This unfortunately caused him to lose his balance which ended up with him tumbling down a hill and thankfully onto a soft pile of snow. Unfortunately he didn't stop coughing and he now had his other hand to his chest out of reflex to the pain he felt there. Gaster even had trouble focusing his thoughts and didn't even hear Frisk calling for him.

And then... His world faded to black.

* * *

That's another chapter done and sorry for the cliffhanger, it just felt like the right spot to stop at. I'll get the next chapter going and up as soon as possible but my updates might slow down a bit due to some changes in my daily schedule. That and I am steadily trying to make the chapters a little longer...

On another note, I like some of the AU name suggestions I've seen. In particular I like Cycletale which was recommended by a guest(sorry, would say your login name if you had one...), as well as Ghostertale suggested by Kira Akuma. However I might go with Cycletale considering the future plans I have in mind.

Anyway, yes I decided to go with a Gaster that appreciates puns because I find the thought amusing that maybe Sans picked up his love for puns from his brother. As well as how frustrated Papyrus probably gets when they would both make puns just to tease him a little. However, I also see Papyrus' love for puzzles as coming from Gaster in much the same way; whether he remembers it or not and despite the different timelines.

And one last thing before I wrap this up, I am surprised by the number of people who have viewed my story within the past nine days or so. And in case anyone is curious, 549 is the number of views this story has had thus far at this point. It's probably partly due to my frequent updates but seeing so many people coming to read my story is always so inspiring to me. And of course the reviews only helped to solidified that feeling and increase my desire to provide more. And I have a lot in mind for this story and be very aware that dramatic changes compared to how the game runs will come. Despite Gaster's best attempts from straying from the pacifist timelines he has seen.

However that's all the spoiler you guys are going to get. Until next time. R&R.


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